Boys need hugs and closeness just as much as girls do, but the transition into puberty marks a watershed where boys become aware of the 'man box' and get the message that intimacy is not for them. I've never forgotten reading Niobe Way's decades of research into this age group…
Megan Saxelby calls it those early years the 'friendship meat grinder'. 'Do I belong?' 'Can I make friends?' Those early tween and teen years can feel very bumpy as our kids navigate the choppy waters of friendship. It's easy for us parents to dismiss it as drama or get sucked…
This is a clip from https://teenagersuntangled.substack.com/p/friendship-struggles?utm_source=youtube_shorts See the full video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcMEyZht9ik #shorts #substack
We want our kids to do as well as possible, so when they mess up, do dumb things, or seem to be failing, it's easy to focus on their mistakes and what they should do instead. Naomi Glover, a leading applied neuroscientist and brain health specialist, says we'd get the…
How To Easily Spot Predators: It doesn't matter what part of society we live in, there will be predators trying to reach our kids; often through us. The vast majority of people are generous and kind, and have no ill-intent, but how do we spot the ones who are dangerous?…
Every family has a curse… Addiction. Anger. Affairs. Silence. This dad realised his father, grandfather, and great‑grandfather were all alcoholics. Same story, different man. So Mitchell Osmond of @dadnationco did something radical: he hand‑picked five men with the kind of marriage, health, and money he actually wanted… and made them…
If we want our boys to become good men it's important that they have role models who can show them a positive version of masculinity, according to Mitchell Osmond of @dadnationco Having come from a background where he had no access to men who inspired him to grow it took…
Have you ever noticed that some teens with ADHD seem devastated by even tiny bits of criticism? Its’s called ‘rejection sensitivity’—and it’s real. They feel negative feedback WAY more than most. Here’s the good news: Executive skills coach, Sean Geraghty, says there’s mounting evidence that giving them regular, specific, positive…
A 2022 poll by The New York Times uncovered what the paper called a 'Free Speech Problem' because 84 percent of American adults believe that self-censorship due to fear of retaliation is a “very serious” or “somewhat serious” problem. What's the difference between self-censorship and polite self-restraint? What are the…
Surely our kids deserve as much, if not more status and respect in their own homes as they might receive elsewhere? You could also argue that it's better to offer it at home so they don't go looking for it in places you don't want them to go. When I…
Getting to the serious conversations takes time and investment in garbage talk, according to Joanna Schroeder co-author of the new book Talk to Your Boys. As parents, it's so tempting to use every opportunity to convey our thoughts and wisdom. We worry that we might not get another chance, because…
Adolescence is a time of extreme emotions, and it's easy to get caught up in the whirlwind your child is going through. Matt Richtel, the Pullizer prize-winning journalist and author of How We Grow Up, explains that one of the key reasons GenZ is having mental health problems is they've…
Teen emotions: Yes, those things. The ones that can seem unfathomable, and require us to reach into the bottom of our reserves to manage our own feelings. I had such a great talk with @mrichtel a fellow parent of teens, and Pulitzer prize-winning journalist and author of How We Gros…
Dieting is the cause of disorders, according to eating disorder expert @the_food_psychologist. Give your kids nutritious foods but don’t label foods good or bad and watch out if your kids start going on diets. They could set up a lifetime of eating disorders. #parenting #podcast #education #mentalhealth #motivation #parent #socialmedia…
'Killer' food? The UK's lockdown PE sensation, Joe Wicks, has annoyed a lot of people with his Channel 4 shockumentary, Licensed to Kill, which set out to expose 'killer' unhealthy, ultra-processed foods. Whilst you'd be forgiven for thinking the angriest would be the food companies, it's riled up health advocates…
Whatever food fears we've inherited, or learned, will be passed on to our kids unless we understand and challenge our beliefs, according to @the_food_psychologist As she rightly points out, fear-mongering about killer bars or toxic foods is way more dangerous, long-term, than the food itself. In tommorrow's Parenting Teenagers Untangled…
Staying calm as a parent: We've all done it. Our kid tells us how upset they are about something and it triggers our fears, so we overreact. It's incredibly hard to stay calm, not take it personally, and keep believing everything will work out fine when things seem to be…
When kids start senior school it can be incredibly stressful for everyone and it's easy to panic if we notice a sudden change in behaviour. We think they should be focused on getting their work done but they are hyper-focused on friendships, status and respect. One great tip, when your…
Tish, from Jamie's Farm, says difficult kids come to her and find their voice through being offered a sense of purpose, work on the farm, family meals, and the removal of devices. She says the school system is now so formulaic and pressured that teachers are forced to shunt kids…
When the news feeds are full of negativity, and we humans already suffer a negative bias, the power of sharing positivite moments with our kids is incredible. Talking openly about the good things in the world, and taking time to share positivity with our kids, can have a dramatic impact…
When things go wrong at school parents are bound to feel stressed, wanting the problem to be resolved as soon as possible. So what's the best way forward? One big issue, according to @goodschoolsguide Melanie Sanderson, can be a big difference in approach between home and school when it comes…
Back to School: Remember, dads especially, this is not about you. I love this advice from @goodschoolsguide Managing Editor, Melanie Sanderson. She says they talk a lot in the office about how parents find it really hard to look at their child's schooling without using the lens of their own…
Where do you sit in the current debate on delaying or banning smartphones for young teenagers? Jonathan Haidt, author of Anxious Generation, is advocating for no phones before the age of 14 and no social media until16. Meanwhile, Dr Lucy Foulkes - who's a psychologist at the University of Oxford…
Unconditional love is vital to our child's wellbeing, not just now, but for the rest of their life. If we shut them down, or withold love for choices they make that don't align with our own beliefs or ambitions, what we tell them is that our love is conditional. Every…
